Ram 2500HD

Retired07 wrote:

jimmyfred wrote:

Retired07 wrote:
We have a 2016 Ram 2500HD with the 6.7CTD. Specs say it will tow 17,200lbs.
Looking at Forest River Surveyor 299RLOK. It will be our first 5th wheel, not our first RV, (previous 26ft bunkhouse and 34ft class A).
The 5er weighs in at 9038 with a hitch weight of 1498 and a carry capacity of 2860. Will we be able to tow this safely ?

.........Did they bother to explain how a 2500 will beable to safely , stop 17,200 lbs ? Stopping is more important than towing ! , jf

........My guess is a combination of transmission, diesel exhaust brake, trucks brakes and trailer brakes.

A 17,200# 5er is too heavy for a 2500..just my own personal opinion from towing a CAT scaled 5er of 16,300#, and 3640# of pin weight with my 13' Ram Cummins/Aisin with 4.10...Some to many will disagree, but I wouldn't want to do it..At that weight, I'd want, at the least a 3500 SRW..

Some don't realize some of these ratings are based on a short bed two wheel, short bed truck with a 150# driver in the truck...most don't tow with that truck..

jimmyfred wrote:

Retired07 wrote:
We have a 2016 Ram 2500HD with the 6.7CTD. Specs say it will tow 17,200lbs.
Looking at Forest River Surveyor 299RLOK. It will be our first 5th wheel, not our first RV, (previous 26ft bunkhouse and 34ft class A).
The 5er weighs in at 9038 with a hitch weight of 1498 and a carry capacity of 2860. Will we be able to tow this safely ?

.........Did they bother to explain how a 2500 will beable to safely , stop 17,200 lbs ? Stopping is more important than towing ! , jf

........My guess is a combination of transmission, diesel exhaust brake, trucks brakes and trailer brakes.

Retired07 wrote:
We have a 2016 Ram 2500HD with the 6.7CTD. Specs say it will tow 17,200lbs.
Looking at Forest River Surveyor 299RLOK. It will be our first 5th wheel, not our first RV, (previous 26ft bunkhouse and 34ft class A).
The 5er weighs in at 9038 with a hitch weight of 1498 and a carry capacity of 2860. Will we be able to tow this safely ?

.........Did they bother to explain how a 2500 will beable to safely , stop 17,200 lbs ? Stopping is more important than towing ! , jf

rhagfo wrote:
NC Hauler, while the GVWR needs to be taken in to account, so does the dry weight and carrying capacity.
There are some lighter 5th wheels that have huge carrying capacity and a 10,000# to 12,000# GVWR and under 8,000# dry weight or less. So in reality both weights need to taken into consideration.

Then there is the subject of GVWR of the TV, and this is where personal choice comes into play. Most realize the GVWR of 250/2500 is based on tax and registration laws, not the capability of the TV. Ford offers a F350 with GVWR of 10,000 do you really think that is all it can carry?

I understand all that, and I understand some can carry more than others and that most probably won't load to GVW...BUT it is really silly to look at a 5er, or any other camper for that matter, LOOK AT EMPTY WEIGHT ONLY, And "empty or dry pin weight" and USE THOSE numbers to purchase a TV to tow with..It's not realistic

I stated the 2500 could tow the 5er..I merely suggested that OP use the GVW to get a better idea of his pin weight...The 5er he's talking about is EASILY towed by a 3/4 ton truck..Heck I towed a 5er with a GVW of 14K and towed it with an 03' Chevy 2500 D/A...no big deal

I'm not going to get into all the supposed or real reasons "why" a truck has the GVWR it has, believe it or not, I understand all that.. BUT, being an Engineer and in manufacturing for the last 41 years, I'm a spec man....I go by manufacturers recommendations...can't help it, it's what I do..Thus the reason I'm so vehemently called "The weight police"...I try to stay under GVWR and GCWR, and then, I don't have to really worry about if I'm over loading axles or tires...It's so much simpler for me:B

No one has to do it the way I do, why should they, I just gave an opinion that his truck could tow the weight he asked bout..I stated GVW of the 5er because I've seen A LOT of people on these and other forums using "dry or empty" weights to figure what TV they need...again, "not real world".

NC Hauler, while the GVWR needs to be taken in to account, so does the dry weight and carrying capacity.
There are some lighter 5th wheels that have huge carrying capacity and a 10,000# to 12,000# GVWR and under 8,000# dry weight or less. So in reality both weights need to taken into consideration.

Then there is the subject of GVWR of the TV, and this is where personal choice comes into play. Most realize the GVWR of 250/2500 is based on tax and registration laws, not the capability of the TV. Ford offers a F350 with GVWR of 10,000 do you really think that is all it can carry?

laknox wrote:

Thing is, that's the only #'s we have to go on,

I guess I'm thinking yellow sticker + whatever gear you put in it + the water in the tanks. I realize it's a bit of an unknown but at least a person can plan for how they intend to use a given trailer. The max weight route is what some engineer said it can carry.

My main problem with the max weight thing is the variation. I've seen CCC from around 1000# to 5000# for similarly sized trailers. Just because my old TT could carry 4500# doesn't mean I need to buy a truck based on picking up an extra 2 tons of gravel on my way home from camping someday. The simple answer is to find a trailer, look at the yellow sticker, figure out how much weight you are going to put in it (with an appropriate margin of safety), and then find a TV that fits. Again, what some engineer says it can carry is pretty much irrelevant unless you are planning exceed it.

Retired07 wrote:
:)Thanks for all the input. One more question, the dealer says we are good to go with the Pull-Rite Superglide 16K. Yes?

good choice for a auto sliding hitch and a short bed Ram truck. Now if the trailer has the rounded/notched front corners made for short bed trucks I would get with the RV dealer and Pullrite in case the auto slider isn't needed.

The 2500 Ram and that size 5th wheel trailer is a great match up with room to spare.

As long as you do not exceed any of the many ratings of the truck you can safely tow it.

rhagfo wrote:


:S

The weight police are out in full force on this one!

5er has a GVWR of LESS than 12,000# with a 2,860# Carrying capacity. Normal load will be around 10,500# to 11,000#, full tanks or not OP will likely still be within GVWR, and for sure well within rear GAWR!

I tow a 12,360# GVWR 5er with a 2001, tows at 10,000# on the TV, and 5,500# on the rear axle (stock tire size)rear axles GAWR is 6,084#.

I have towed it over Santiam Pass at 4,800' with all tanks FULL!!! No issues.

Retired 07, Please enjoy your new 5er!

I've been blatantly and often referred to as the "weight Police", but in my post I stated Op should be fine with that light of a 5er...I take pride in the name calling, so those that stated he couldn't tow the weight must be "auxiliary" weight police, and not the real deal like I am...:B

laknox wrote:

mtofell1 wrote:
For comparison - I just bought a 9040# dry 5th wheel and when loaded up and ready to camp I'm at about 10,500#. That's with not much water in any of the tanks. I carry what I'd consider to be an average amount of stuff.

The concept of "use the trailer's GVW" is not always the best advice IMO. Some have 1200# between dry and max weight, some have 4000# between the two. I don't think many people pay that much attention. People just load what they are going to load for the most part.

Your setup looks like it will be great.

Thing is, that's the only #'s we have to go on, unless you can find an identically fitted-out model and have it scaled. You do have to plan for a worst-case scenario, which I would consider to be having completely full black and grey tanks =plus= all your stuff. It =can= happen, so you need to prepare for it. I've had 2 instances where I had to tow home with near-full waste tanks because my favored dump station was closed and was running on a time crunch.

Lyle

:S

The weight police are out in full force on this one!

5er has a GVWR of LESS than 12,000# with a 2,860# Carrying capacity. Normal load will be around 10,500# to 11,000#, full tanks or not OP will likely still be within GVWR, and for sure well within rear GAWR!

I tow a 12,360# GVWR 5er with a 2001, tows at 10,000# on the TV, and 5,500# on the rear axle (stock tire size)rear axles GAWR is 6,084#.

I have towed it over Santiam Pass at 4,800' with all tanks FULL!!! No issues.

Retired 07, Please enjoy your new 5er!